Hope yall enjoy, this was longer then normal.
Chapter 93: Stella, Primordial of white
The door shut behind the three women.
Veldora stopped pretending to be hurt. He looked past Varion toward the doorway, then the corners of the room rapidly, as if she might have stayed behind, hidden behind a chair or something.
He whisper-yelled it to Varion. "Pstt, Nephew. Is she gone now?"
Varion laughed and got off of Veldora. "Yes, Veldora. She's gone, the room is literally empty."
Veldora was on his feet within a second. He snatched the book off the floor, checked and started for the door opposite the girls left through.
"Good, can't be too careful there. I'm leaving while I can. She is way too scary, and Rimuri was being mean to me too." He dropped his voice on the way out, not low enough to avoid Varion's hearing though. "It was one city that was destroyed like forever ago. What's the big deal?"
Varion watched him go, shaking his head and with an exasperated sigh. His uncle still didn't understand what the problem was, with destroying the literal capital city of an entire race.
As the door shut behind him the room fell into silence leaving Varion alone with his thoughts. He dropped back onto the couch and leaned his head against the cushion. The girls would be there for a while. He had no idea what he was supposed to do until they came back.
Varion stared at a white tile in the ceiling and let his thoughts drift slowly.
'White…. I wonder, Raphael, what happened to those demons I summoned? I haven't heard from them since I woke up.'
[They have been ensuring the safety of the city, Master, and holding the captive you ordered them to keep.]
Varion went still then scowled. That man. Before he could stop it a growl rose in his chest that he barely contained. He would deal with him later. But not now, If he started on that he would unable to focus on other matters that were coming up.
He let out a slow deep breath and waited until his shoulders dropped.
"I should talk to the one leading them." He kept his eyes on the tile. "Raphael. Can you contact her?"
[Right away, Master.]
The air in front of the couch shifted slightly then a woman stepped through elegantly. She had long white hair, a black ribbon at the side of her head, red eyes that locked on him and nowhere else. Her smile was calm, regal, and a little seductive at the edges.
His gaze moved over her before he meant it to. She was wearing a mostly black maid outfit. That was strange. It had a high collar that went up to her throat, and a red gem set into the bow at her collar. The sleeves were full length with white cuffs, and a corset pulled at her waist under a row of small buttons and pushed up her breasts slightly. The bodice was cut so close to her chest that it emphasized it perfectly as well. Varion got distracted, staring for a few seconds and did not look away as fast as he should have.
When he looked back up, she was watching him. She was still smiling at him and if he wasn't wrong she looked pleased at his reaction.
She gathered the sides of the skirt in her hands, set one foot behind the other, and sank into a curtsy. She rose without a sound, hands folding again at her waist, and met his eyes.
"How can I be of use to you, Master?~"
"You finished what I needed from you," Varion said. "You and your subordinates can leave now, if you want."
Her face shifted to shock and panic. "No!"
Her voice came out panicked and had none of her earlier composure. She calmed herself and lowered her head a fraction before she spoke again.
"No, Master. I would prefer to stay and serve you. For as long as you will have me, that is." She said softer, now fully recomposed.
Varion raised an eyebrow at the outburst. Then his eyes went to her outfit, then back to her face.
"Is that why you're wearing a maid outfit?"
"Yes, my lord." She did not look away. "I saw that you did not have a personal maid, or a secretary. I took both upon myself to fill that role. It is only right that I dress the part, and see to whatever personal duties that are required of me. I hope it does not displease you and that my choice of outfit matches your tastes."
She leaned in as she said the last part, not far, just enough for his gaze to drop again before he pulled it back to her face.
"If you want to stay and serve me, I'm not opposed." He studied her for a moment. "But it'll get annoying referring to you like I have been, so I'll give you a name."
She went still, red eyes wide, and for a second she did not seem to breathe or even think of a response.
Varion took the silence for hesitation. "If you don't want one—"
"Yes." She cut him off, louder than she had ever been before.
"Master, I would love nothing more than for you to name me." She said then bowed her head. The room was quiet again. She straightened, folded her hands, and the smile returned as if the outburst had not happened.
"My apologies, my lord. I was… awestruck, that you offered to name me. Please. Do as you wish."
A bead of sweat trailed down the back of his head. Her changes in mood had been so quick it left him surprised. He found he liked it quite a lot. It was very cute, in a way he had not expected from someone as composed as her. He would have to tease her later and see if he could get her to react like that again.
Varion leaned back into the couch, eyes on hers, and tapped his chin thinking then stopped. "Your name shall be, Stella. Be proud. You are the first person I have ever named."
She was abruptly consumed by a column of golden bluish white light that was so thick only a vague outline of her body was visible. In the same instant Raphael closed barriers of stardust around her, so nothing could leak out of the room. When the light died, she looked physically the same besides maybe her skin was a bit smoother and softer looking. The real change was in her power and how it felt, it had grown by a large margin and held a different texture now.
Stella stepped forward, sank to one knee, and took his hand. She looked up at him and turned it over, pressing his palm to her cheek.
"Thank you, my lord. To be named, and tied to you like this… I am overjoyed." Her voice dropped to a warm, almost purring tone. "I will do anything you may need. You only have to ask. To think you would be so bold, and so greedy, as to claim me so soon. It makes me even more captivated by you~." She said with a blush filling her cheeks.
Varion stared at her confused, like she had lost her mind. He only gave her a name, and she took that as him claiming her… then he thought about it. Technically he did, as that's what naming was here, it is branding someone and claiming them as your own. The way she was looking at him made him swallow hard and look away.
"Do you know the details of this Walpurgis? I haven't been told much, only that the meeting is in a few hours." He said deliberately changing the subject.
She rose to her feet and straightened her skirt. Then a stack of papers appeared in her hand in a flash, and she offered them to him.
"Yes, Master. I took the liberty of attending the meeting where preparations took place and memorizing what was said. I also condensed it for you."
She moved behind the couch. Her hands settled on his shoulders, thumbs finding the base of his neck and working it until his muscle started to loosen. She kept her movements thorough and steady in no hurry to lose contact with her master.
"Demon lord Clayman called the meeting shortly after the attack finished. He claims that you and Lady Rimuri are dangerous monsters who took the title of Demon Lord illegally. He is pushing for a vote to call for a full purge of Tempest. Lady Rimuri also has pieced together that he was the main orchestrator behind the attack manipulating things in order to kill off all of Tempest." She said softly. Varion didn't react to this so she continued.
"Lady Luminous will be there as well, but she will most likely attend in disguise as a maid. She enjoys that type of thing for some reason. Roy Valentine will sit in as Demon Lord in her place." Her hands slowed as her voice took on a more worried tone.
"The one you need to watch is Guy Crimson. He is a primordial demon like Noir and I. He is the oldest Demon Lord and is the creator of the demon lord council. He will know what you are the moment you walk in. He could be a problem or not, I'm not really sure as he is the second most unpredictable of the primordials."
She leaned over the back of the couch. Her chest pressed against his back as she reached past him and tapped a line on the page.
"There is an attendance limit, two people per Demon Lord." She did not move, instead she leaned closer to his ear, and spoke softly. "I hope you would consider taking me, M-a-s-t-e-r~."
He glanced back at her for a second, locking eyes with red ones that didn't move away from his own. Then he looked away letting out a noncommittal hum. She stayed where she was and resumed the massage.
"Violence is also banned, enforced by Guy as the host, but formal disputes may still be called."
Her fingers tensed slightly as she hesitated to tell him the next issue but steeled her nerves.
"There is one issue. Lady Milim appears to be moving under Clayman's orders." She said softly
Varion's shoulders went tense under her hands. His sister, taking orders from a man like that. After what he had done to Tempest, to him, she either was truly under his control or just didn't know what Clayman had done while she was playing around. He knew she would never betray his faith in her like that, he was certain of it.
"I find it doubtful," she said quickly, feeling how tense he had become, "that someone that weak could control a Dragonoid, especially one related to you my lord."
The door opened and Rimuri, Prinz, and Luminous walked in, then stopped, noticing the new woman in the room. Stella was still leaning over the back of the couch, chest against Varion's back, hands massaging his shoulders.
Varion looked at them then waved casually, "Hey, did your girl talk go well?" He asked.
Rimuri's hand met her face audibly.
"We leave you alone for twenty minutes," she said, "and you already have another woman lying all over you. What are we going to do with you?"
She groaned into her palm.
Prinz took in the scene and looked more amused than anything. Luminous did not. Her eyes stayed on the woman and recognition settled within seconds.
"Hello, Blanc. What a surprise to see you here."
Stella smiled wider, as a smug look settled over her face.
"I was summoned by Lord Varion during his ascension to Demon Lord, and as of a few minutes ago, I am going by Stella. It's a wonderful name given to me by my beloved Master." She said, looping her arms around his neck.